We’re Here and We’re in Trouble—but We’re Stronger Together

By The Independent Planners Collective | Apr 6, 2020

In the first installment of "An Independent Perspective," a monthly series by independent planners Heather Herrig, CMP, Every Last Detail; Tess Vismale, CMP, iSocialExecution, Inc; and Qualena Odom-Royes, CSEP, CMP, CDMP, EventEssentials, LLC, the unique challenges and benefits of trudging through a pandemic as an independent planner are addressed.

Like all planners, independent planners are facing unprecedented challenges and disruptions to our businesses due to COVID-19 and its ramifications on our world. But while we may be losing events and clients, we are not losing our jobs.

Who We Are

If you’re not an independent planner, perhaps you’ve heard of us or even worked with us. Perhaps not. Our businesses vary, as do the sizes and nature of our teams, sometimes with full-time co-workers, sometimes scaled up with 1099 collaborators, sometimes we’re on our own. Our work environments, services and clients vary too: we rent office spaces, we work from home, work out of our clients’ offices, or work while on the road; we are sourcing experts, we can plan a program from A-Z, and we do everything in between; and our clients are corporate, association, pharmaceutical/medical, social, you name it). Our common thread? We have the flexibility to work according to our preferences and have the freedom to seek opportunities as we find them. We are neutral! We truly wouldn’t have it any other way.

Like all planners, the ramifications of COVID-19 have transformed our home offices into homeschools or 24-hour war rooms. We’re in one place longer than we have been in our entire careers. Things we might have been complaining about a month ago are now just a distant memory. Calendars are empty.

However, while we may be losing events and clients, independent planners are not losing our jobs. Being independent offers incredible agility, so we can seek new opportunities even in the face of a global pandemic that has decimated our prospects. We can pivot to seek new areas of business development. There is loss, but there is hope, and this can be shared with our entire industry.

What Unites Us All

Our goal is that this series sheds light on what unites us all. We are not holding our breaths for a return to normal. We’ve all made our peace with that. And we are not looking for a new normal, not when our world is changing on a daily basis. We are just trying to get by from week to week at this point, to see what the future holds.

Energies are now put toward working as hard as we can to be there for our clients and each other. The current task upon us is to learn everything we can in order to support our clients and evolve as we need to, and that’s where our community comes in. While we’re hoping for the best, we’re preparing for the worst, and doing it together.

Our series, “An Independent Perspective,” returns next month with an in-depth look at what the growing communities of independent planners can offer, certainly in times like this, but truly at all times. In the comments below, let us know what community has meant to you during this time, and where you’re finding it despite physical isolation.